1、For hundreds of years man has been fascinated by the idea of flying. One of the first men to produce designs for aircraft was Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian artist who lived in the fifteenth century. However, it was not until the eighteenth century that people began to fly, or perhaps it would be bet
2、ter to say float, across the countryside in balloons. The first hot-air balloon was made in April 1783 by the Montgolfier brothers in France. In the following years many flights were made by balloon. Some of the flights were for pleasure and others were for delivering mail and for military purposes,
3、 such as observation and even bombing. However, in the late nineteenth century, airships superseded balloons as a form of transport. Airships came after balloons. The first powered and manned flight was made by a Frenchman, Giffard, in September 1852. His airship, powered by steam, traveled twenty-s
4、even kilometers from Paris to Trappes at a speed of eight kilometers per hour. However the days of the airship were numbered as the aero-plane became increasingly safe and popular.ExerciseDirections: Listen to the passage and write down the gist and the key words that help you decide.1. This passage
5、 is about the early history of flying. 2. The key words are designs, an Italian artist, fifteenth century, eighteenth century, fly, float, balloons, hot-air balloon, April 1783, airships, September 1852, aeroplane.Section Two Listening ComprehensionPart 1 DialogueBuying a CarA: Good morning, can I h
6、elp you?B: Yes, Im interested in buying a car. Have you anything in mind? Not really. What price are you thinking of?Not more than 13,500. Lets see now . Over there between the Lancia and the Volvo is a Mini. It costs 12,830 and is cheap to run: It does 38 miles per gallon. Or theres the Citroen, be
7、hind the Mini. It costs 12,070 and is even cheaper to run than the Mini: It does 45 miles per gallon. Its not very fast though. It only does 69 miles per hour. No, I think the Mini and the Citroen are too small. Ive got three children. Isnt there anything bigger at that price? Well, theres the Toyot
8、a over there, to the left of the Peugeot. Its very comfortable and costs 13,040. Its cheap to run too, and it also has a built-in radio. Or theres the Renault at the back of the showroom, behind the Peugeot. It costs a little more, 13,240, but it is cheaper to run. It does 40 miles per gallon and th
9、e Toyota only does 36 miles per gallon. What about that Volkswagen over there, in front of the Toyota? That costs a little more than 13,500 but its a very reliable car. Its more expensive to run than the others: It does 34 miles per gallon, but its faster. Its top speed is 90 miles per hour. The Toy
10、otas is 80 miles per hour and the Renaults is 82 miles per hour. How much does it cost? 13,630 and that includes a 5-year guarantee. And the Fiat next to the Volkswagen? Again thats more than 13,500, but its cheaper than the Volkswagen. It costs 13,550. Hmm well, Ill have to think about it and study
11、 these pamphlets. How much is that Peugeot incidentally, behind the Lancia? Oh, thats expensive. It costs 15,190. Yes, that is a bit too much. Thank you very much for your help. Goodbye. R13.240 40m/g 82m/h T13,04036m/g80m/hP15,190C12,07045m/g69m/hF13,550VW13,63034m/g90m/hL16,240M 12,830 38m/g V15,8
12、50Part 2 PassageThe Wrights Story On the morning of December 17, 1903, between 10:30 a.m. and noon, four flights were made, two by Orville Wright and two by Wilbur Wright. The starts were all made from a point on the level sand about 200 feet west of our camp, which is located a quarter of a mile no
13、rth of the Kill Devil sand hill, in Dare County, North Carolina. The wind at the time of the flights had a velocity* of 27 miles an hour at 10 a.m., and 24 miles an hour at noon, as recorded by the anemometer* at the Kitty Hawk Weather Bureau Station. The flights were directly against the wind. Each
14、 time the machine started from the level ground by its own power alone with no assistance from gravity or any other source whatever. After a run of about 40 feet along a monorail* track, which held the machine 8 inches （20 centimeters） from the ground, it rose from the track and under the direction
15、of the operator climbed upward on an inclined course till a height of 8 or 10 feet from the ground was reached, after which the course was kept as near horizontal as the wind gusts and the limited skill of the operator would permit. Into the teeth of a December gale （逆风） the Flyer made its way forwa
16、rd with a speed of 10 miles an hour over the ground and 30 to 35 miles an hour through the air. It had previously been decided that for reasons of personal safety these first trials should be made as close to the ground as possible. The height chosen was sufficient for maneuvering* in so gusty a win
17、d and with no previous acquaintance with the conduct of the machine and its controlling mechanisms. Consequently the first flight was short. The succeeding flights rapidly increased in length，and at the fourth trial a flight of 59 seconds was made, in which time the machine flew a little more than h
18、alf a mile through the air and a distance of 852 feet over the ground. The landing was due to a slight error of judgment on the part of the aviator. After passing over a little hummock* of sand, in attempting to bring the machine down to the desired height, the operator turned the rudder* too far, a
19、nd the machine turned downward more quickly than had been expected. The reverse movement of the rudder was a fraction of a second（转瞬间，顷刻） too late to prevent the machine from touching the ground and thus ending the flight. As winter was already well set in, we should have postponed the trials to a m
20、ore favorable season, but we were determined to know whether the machine possessed sufficient power to fly, sufficient strength to withstand the shocks of landings and sufficient capacity of control to make flight safe in boisterous* winds, as well as in calm air.Exercise A Pre-listening Question Or
21、ville Wright （1871-1948）, American aeronautical engineer, famous for his role in the first controlled, powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine and for his participation in the design of the aircrafts control system. Wright worked closely with his brother, Wilbur Wright （1867-1912）, American aer
22、onautical engineer, in designing and flying the Wright airplane. During the years 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903, the two brothers developed the first effective airplane. At Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright made the first successful flight of a piloted, heavier-than-air,
23、self-propelled craft, called the Flyer. The third Flyer, which the Wrights constructed in 1905, was the worlds first fully practical airplane. It could bank, turn, circle, make figure eights, and remain in the air for as long as the fuel lasted, up to half an hour on occasion.Exercise B Sentence Dic
24、tation Listen to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times.1. On the morning of December 17, 1903, between 10:30 a.m. and noon, four flights were made, two by Orville Wright and two by Wilbur Wright. 2. Under the direction of the operator it climbed upward on an inc
25、lined course till a height of 8 or 10 feet from the ground was reached. 3. Into the teeth of a December gale the 4. The height chosen was sufficient for maneuvering in so gusty a wind and with no previous acquaintance with the conduct of the machine and its controlling mechanisms. 5 .In attempting t
26、o bring the machine down to the desired height, the operator turned the rudder too far, and the machine turned downward more quickly than had been expected. Exercise C Detailed Listening Listen to the passage and answer the following questions. 1. Four flights were made on the morning of December 17
27、, 1903, two by Orville Wright and two by Wilbur Wright. 2. The wind at the time of the flights had a velocity of 27 miles an hour at 10 a.m., and 24 miles an hour at noon, as recorded by the anemometer at the Kitty Hawk Weather Bureau Station. 3. Each time the machine started from the level ground by its own power alone with no assistance from gravity or any other source whatever. 4. The machine ran about 40 feet along a monorail track before it rose from the trac
